QUESTIONS ABOUT VOCAL MIX

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ricrac47

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Hi all,
Can some of you give me your thoughts on vocal mixing. I do mostly country. I don't want to have an overly processed sound....but I need to add something, I just don't know what. Also tips on eq for the main vocal vs. eq for background vocals. Lastly, should by background vocals be mixed down the middle like the main vocals, or should they be slightly off to the side so things don't sound cluttered,
OR should they be down the middle also but with different eq to provide some seperation. Thanks for your thoughts. One final questiom......any good reasonably priced rack mount vocal fx modules out there.....something strictly for vocal reinforcement?
ricrac47
 
the first fx for vocals that you should get, to make your vocals sound more like commercial stuff are, apart from a good mic,: Compressor and Reverb

The RNC compresorr is extremely popular and it cost $200, and you can get a used lexicon lxp-1 or lxp-5 multi-effects box(with the legendary lexicon reverb)(which is heard on 3 of 4 commercial mixes) for $165

It might be advisable to stay away from such stuff as Alesis 3630 comp or mpx 100 multi-fx, based on bad reviews from so many people.

peace.

ps. I don't know where you can hear the RNC compressor in action, but you can hear the LXP-1 on this excellent site.


http://www.echostarstudio.com/Download.html
 
Hey there!

My starting-point for mixing vocals is this:
Get rid of all frequencies below 100Hz with a lowcut-filter. Set up an equalizer at 5kHz and boost as much as it needs (always listen within the mix!). If the vocals sounds ugly or somewhat out of tune cut @ 3kHz. For background vocals, boost 1k and 12k. One thing, that is often very cool, is a harmonizer. Set it up to raise the pitch on one side of the stereo field and to lower it on the other (about 8 cents or so) and mix it with the original signal. Add a reverb that fits the tune. For some tunes, you might want to use a delay instead. In fact, my experience is that I definitely use a delay (or a combination of both) more often than a reverb, just because it leaves more space for other signals to cut through. Of course, compress the vocals (important!). You said that you don't want an overly processed sound. If it sounds as if you have done too much, but don't want to undo a process, try to mix the processed signal with the unprocessed one.

I hope I could help you,

David
 
vocal mix

Thanks for the info! As it turns out I have a RNC...just never used it. I use the compression patches in the 1680. But I think I'll try the RNC. I'm REAL new at using eq. I usually just listen until it sounds good. I am a little confused when you say to get rid of everything below 100Hz. How do you do that? On my grahpic eq I have 12 parameters that I can raise or lower. These are:
31.2 62.5 125 250 500 1k 2k 4k 8k 16k
When you say set up my eq at 5kHz, which of these levals do I adjust? Do I raise the 4k or lower the 8k....or does it matter??? For background vocals I can boost the 1k, but how do I boost the 12k. Am I correct in thinking that the 8k when left at the center position is 8k. When lowered all the way, it can only go as low as 4k, and when raised all the way can only go as high as 16k? One other question is this: I record the main vocal on a mono channel. The background vocals (for this purpose,two vocals) are also recorded on mono channels. When I do a sub mix I pan the main vocal down the middle and put the backgrounds one slightly left and one slightly right. Is this what you mean when you refer to a stereo field? Is it possible to combine both background vocals, and have one set go to the left and one set go to the right? (I don't want one harmony on the left and a different one on the right.) Whenever I attempt to combine the background vocals and send one set left and one set right, the end up right down the middle unless I offset them by one frame, creating a slight delay fx, which I don't really want. I can also just sing both background vocals twice. This gives me a stereo sound, but there must ba an easier way???? Sorry for my ignorance. I realize that if you know what you are doing, these questions seem pretty
basic....but I'm new at this. I appreciate your help!
ricrac47
 
I just want to reinforce what nessbass said.

cut all frequencies below 100 hz for vocals. I have never been able to get a vocal to sound right without cutting 150 on the mic and some more on the preamp.

With the mic I use, I also noticed that 3 khz cut helps to make it sound more like the commercial stuff. But don't cut too much there.
 
Sorry for my ignorance!

I'm one of these computer guys with numerous parametric EQ's available. With these, it is no problem to boost or cut a certain frequency at a certain bandwidth (that is the range of frequencies that are influenced by the EQ). To cut everything below 100 Hz you will need a LowCut-filter. I'm quite sure that there is one on your mixer - even the smallest 16-channel-thingies have one.
Apart from that - go on with the experimenting stuff. You said that you would dial around, until it sounds right. To me, this is one of the best ways to achieve a good sound.
Did that help you? I think not. But anyway, all the best wishes.

David
 
What do you folks think about boosting a narrow band somewhere between 300 and 500 Hz (male vocals)?
 
Never tried. What do you do that for? I'll test it today.
 
LI Slim said:
What do you folks think about boosting a narrow band somewhere between 300 and 500 Hz (male vocals)?
Click to expand...
I think that a comment like that has no meaning outside the specific context of the song you're mixing! If it sounds good, it IS good, but that doesn't mean it'll be the right setting on the next song...

Bruce
 
Bruce- Why did you start over? Weren't you the proud holder of a 1000-plus post status?

I have read in various places recommendations to boost vocals between 200 - 500, primarily that it increases fullness. It's the lower range of most male voices. As I understand it, if you already have a powerful, even voice it's unnecessary. Personally, having a good but tragically flawed voice, I find that it adds body to my voice in a variety of songs.

Bruce, I don't understand why you would suggest that we reinvent the wheel every time we record something. I don't think all this has to be so vague and mysterious. Of course you have to make sure it works in a particular song and you should fiddle around endlessly to make sure you've got it where you like it. But it helps to have certain parameters that tend to be helpful in a variety of circumstances, no?

-Larry
 
I was being flippant above, but you simply can't say something like "always put xyz db boost/cut/whatever on such and such". I don't beleive there is any such thing as "certain parameters that tend to be helpful in a variety of circumstances". It is ALWAYS, ALWAYS dependent on what's going around the track in the mix. I don't know what you find so mysterious about that! All I'm really getting at is not to be locked-in to beleiving there's one setting to follow and that's it.

There are many times where you make a solo'd track sound absolutely great, but then it sits totally wrong in the mix. So again, how you tailor response is dictated by the way a track fits in with what's around it, not a blanket procedure that you always have to follow.

As far as the name change - I never liked "bvaleria", but when I first registered, I didn't realize I couldn't change it later. So anyways, after a thousand posts, I figured what the hell... besides who gives crap about post count if the advice given is useful! ;)

Bruce :D
 
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